Plex Megathread: Your .ASS Is Getting Transcoded

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > Plex Megathread: Your .ASS Is Getting Transcoded

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

IOwnCalculus posted:

I will fully admit that I don't do any 4K content (because I have users who refuse to turn off transcoding and transcoding 4K to 2Mbps 720p makes my Xeons cry) but I've had consistently good results with telling people to get either a Roku or a Fire TV device. Most of them end up going with the Roku and it's what I use at home as well.

No hardware encoding? Getting that made all the difference with 4k streaming for me.

# ¿ May 12, 2022 16:30

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# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 07:45

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

I just threw a quadro p400 in mine, it doesn�t take much

# ¿ May 13, 2022 14:30

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

FCKGW posted:

Same but it has some weirdness with Plex/PsuedoTV so I disabled hardware decoding. I have 12 core Xeon and 4k sequestered in its own library so it�s not that big of a deal.

Thing rips through Tdarr though.

I�ve got it shoehorned into an HPE Gen10+ with a 2246 xeon, it�s crazy power efficient for what it�s capable off, running full tilt it barely pulls 160-170w

# ¿ May 14, 2022 16:36

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

Anyone know why plex would only stream original quality when I connect to my VPN? It completely removes the option to even set a lower quality it's super annoying.

# ¿ May 21, 2022 09:17

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

Aware posted:

It treats any client that is in the subnet the server is in as local, which is a safe assumption mostly, your VPN may appear to have a different IP to your home network but if it's using NAT to get back into the home network then to plex it's coming from a local subnet. No advice on fixing this since we'd need to know much more about your VPN solution.

You can specify what subnets it treats as local, so you could reduce the scope to exclude your VPN address or the routers NAT address but make sure it covers your dhcp range at least.

I�ve got Plex on it�s own VLAN subnet, VPN has its own subnet as well, and I have the local subnet specified for the main LAN VLAN. So Plex should be treating everything that�s not the LAN VLAN subnet as remote traffic, but for some reason it�s treating the VPN as local.

It�s an opnsense firewall with openvpn server if that helps at all.

e.pilot fucked around with this message at 05:14 on May 22, 2022

# ¿ May 21, 2022 15:38

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

Aware posted:

Do you have NAT enabled for traffic between the VLANs? That would make the client appear to be coming from the local subnet.

Nope

# ¿ May 22, 2022 05:14

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

The confusing part is it works as expected when it's not connected to the VPN, but as far as the VLAN that the Plex container is on is concerned, the traffic should look the same.

e: Looks like it's something in Windows causing this, both in the app and the webplayer, it's functioning as expected on iOS.

ee: That was the piece I was missing, it was having "Use Recommended Settings" enabled under home streaming in quality settings that was causing it, it wasn't server side. I assume the player saw the 10.x.x.x VPN address and assumed it was on a local network.

e.pilot fucked around with this message at 21:28 on May 22, 2022

# ¿ May 22, 2022 05:35

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

Mr Luxury Yacht posted:

So I'm planning to rebuild my Plex box using one of those Minisforum mini PCs. It'll be a combo PC like my current Plex box: half media, half for emulation (I also use it to run an arcade cabinet).
However, given it's a mini pc I'm limited to 2.5 inch drives at most. I'd like to throw a 4TB in there for my Plex stuff since I've almost filled my old 3TB but it looks like my only options are spending $400+ CAD on a 4TB SSD, or the only single 4TB 2.5 inch HDD that seems to be available in Canada (Seagate Barracuda 5400RPM). However it's less than half the price.

I guess my first question is would a 5400RPM drive be fine for Plex? I've always avoided them in the past in favor of 7200RPM drives. Second, I'll be moving the box around a fair bit, taking it to friends' houses, a cabin without internet, that sort of thing, and I'm a bit worried about the occasional small drop here and there causing issues with the traditional HDD. How durable are those smaller high density HDDs?

shuck a 2.5� 5tb external and slap it in there

# ¿ Jun 17, 2022 19:44

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

EL BROMANCE posted:

I did both monthly and yearly subs before plunging for a lifetime when a good deal came around at the right time with no issues.

�we�ve fixed downloads, we�re forcing you to use the new one now�

is actively worse than the old one, which is honestly impressive

# ¿ Jul 3, 2022 21:53

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

EL BROMANCE posted:

I now see why they abbreviated it.

# ¿ Jul 6, 2022 00:19

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

TescoBag posted:

Hello goons

Would a 1035G4 be enough to do 2 streams of 4k HDR transcode?

Looking at something like this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beelink-i5..._ci_mcx_mi&th=1

This going to be at worst though, the absolute vast majority of my stuff will be direct play.

If not I'll go for the i5-8279U as I'm pretty sure that won't have much trouble, but it's less power efficient.

if the OS you�re running supports quicksync it should be enough

# ¿ Aug 14, 2022 15:44

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

Medullah posted:

Personally I was just thrilled to see that I had a randomly generated password for Plex instead of the 7 letter word I used for loving everything up until about 10 years ago and haven't exactly been hyper vigilant about changing everywhere

# ¿ Aug 24, 2022 20:19

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

used a randomly generated password so I can be lazy and not re sign in to a bunch of poo poo :toot:

# ¿ Aug 25, 2022 04:50

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

It�s been a few years since I�ve done it but the library structure is the same regardless of what plex is running on iirc, just the location that�s different. Move the library folder, fire up the container, fix the media targets, done. I don�t recall it being a hugely complicated process.

# ¿ Aug 29, 2022 18:02

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

it�s like those poo poo yamaha bookshelf speakers that became the defacto mastering speakers for decades because if it sounds good on them, it�ll sound good on anything

# ¿ Oct 19, 2022 14:58

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

Plex Megathread

VostokProgram posted:

No copyrighted media it's a legitimate home video distribution system

No, copyrighted media, it's a legitimate home video distribution system!

# ¿ Jan 18, 2023 16:53

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

unraid is at a nice intersection of capable and prosumer

# ¿ Feb 8, 2023 20:52

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

I have a $50 p400 that transcodes 4x4k streams no issues

I also played around with quicksync on an ancient J4125 celeron and did do two concurrent 4k transcodes and could almost do three, and from what I�ve read the N5105 can do 3-4 at once without issue

yeah you�re not gonna transcode a dozen+ 4k streams at a time like you can with 1080p, but who cares?

# ¿ Feb 9, 2023 16:39

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

depends how tech savvy your users are

a VPN and SMB or if they're a bit more savvy SSH would be my picks

# ¿ Feb 9, 2023 17:49

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

Bing Crosby - Family Reunion

# ¿ Feb 23, 2023 03:05

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

Motronic posted:

Probably because you don't have a reason to post about a non-issue.

I'm having 0 problems.

# ¿ Mar 1, 2023 19:16

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

cruft posted:

I'm supremely curious to know what all you homelab nerds switch to.

I've been paying money for 1password and I'm happy with it, but I've been eyeing a self-hosted bitwarden.

sticking with icloud

# ¿ Mar 4, 2023 02:08

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

Corb3t posted:

Yep.... if somebody manages to get ahold off your iPhone and have a 4-6 digit passcode (which isn't that hard to crack with the right tools), you're giving somebody access to your entire keychain of passwords... banking, apple ID, gmail, amazon. I do save many of my passwords in iCloud/Safari for the convenience, but not for everything, and my iPhone's passcode is 10 digits.

6 digit passcode is extremely hard to break on an iphone, it�ll completely lock indefinitely after 5 attempts, and the phone itself is encrypted

there�s been a lot of hullabaloo about this between the FBI and apple over the past few years

# ¿ Mar 5, 2023 05:04

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

Enderzero posted:

Plex Megathread: Your .rear end Is Getting Transcoded

# ¿ Mar 7, 2023 05:48

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

hmm, wonder how much space I�d save converting my library

# ¿ Mar 8, 2023 04:25

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

Aware posted:

Anything modern Intel with an iGPU will offload transcoding well enough for a couple of 4k to 1080 streams. On BYO or pre-built I guess it depends on time and budget. I just shoved unraid on my last desktop hardware (i7-8700/32gb) with a bunch of HDDs in a desktop case and couldn't be happier with minimal janitoring.

even an older J4125 will transcode 2 4k streams with quicksync, the new N5105 is even better

# ¿ Mar 13, 2023 01:58

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

cruft posted:

A TerraMaster D4-300

It connects over USB3 to the Pi and has given me 0 problems in the 15 months I've had it. Right now I have two 6TB drives in it, using btrfs object mirroring.

It's loud as hell, though. The case actually works kind of like a sounding board and amplifies every little sound. I took the case off and put it on some packing foam to keep the wood floor from also acting like a sounding board. Now you can barely hear it.

I'm an outlier in this thread in that I'm using low-end equipment. But I think I serve as a nice data point when someone like you asks if a computer is fast enough to run Plex: the answer is yes. I can even transcode two 480p videos at the same time with Plex not using the hardware acceleration (could probably do 4 if they ever get around to enabling it: I can help, I've done all the hard work figuring out the ffmpeg options you need).

curious why you�re sticking to a pi when you could get a J4125/N5105 celeron and have proper hardware transcoding via quicksync on a system that uses a marginal amount of power more than a pi, TDP on those boxes is only 10w and you can get them for around $100-150

# ¿ Mar 16, 2023 15:47

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

Let�s say your power costs $0.15 per kw/h

If the 10w computer is on 24/7 it costs $13 a year, 6w costs $8 a year

Power savings between a pi and a low power celeron are effectively nothing, I�m not saying to fire up a retired 8 core enterprise level xeon lol.

e: and plenty of fanless celerons out there too

e.pilot fucked around with this message at 16:48 on Mar 16, 2023

# ¿ Mar 16, 2023 16:46

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

cruft posted:

Oh, are we gatekeeping each others' hobbies now?

No I was just curious/confused as to why you'd limit yourself to a pi when there's more capable x86 boxes out there for effectively the same power draw and cost. 🤷🏼‍♀️

e: like my current setup is admittedly wildly overkill, but I could do 99% of what I have now with a couple of N5015s and USB JBOD enclosures and probably cut my power usage by 1/4 or more

ee: and long term that's what I'll likely do (with whatever the Celeron equivalent at the time) when my current crop of stuff starts to get long in the tooth

eee: but even with as dumb as my setup is now, both servers idling with the drives spun down is only 90-100w

e.pilot fucked around with this message at 19:49 on Mar 16, 2023

# ¿ Mar 16, 2023 19:45

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

EL BROMANCE posted:

Does anyone use the Keep x Latest Episodes? I use it for things like Late Night, Game Shows etc but after working fine for ages it seems to be broken and isn�t deleting anything anymore. I don�t think I�ve changed anything that would affect it, but just seeing if it�s something affecting others before I look further in.

Plex Pass, latest updates, MacOS.

this has literally never worked for me

# ¿ Apr 29, 2023 05:08

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

downloads prettied up but still broken :negative:

# ¿ May 4, 2023 02:49

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# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 07:45

e.pilot: Nov 20, 2011; sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

IOwnCalculus posted:

That sounds like they're running via Plex Relay which is very quality limited and has nothing to do with the end player.

If your goal is off-site streaming with Plex without doing a shitload of extra work, you need to expose 32400 to the world.

this

you can also pipe plex through a reverse proxy if you wanted another layer, I run it through nginx and port 443 personally, it�s nice being able to just slap my domain into a browser and having it work, no having to append the port to the end of the URL or anything

# ¿ May 29, 2023 14:04

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > Plex Megathread: Your .ASS Is Getting Transcoded